The Mastermind's Lies | Mastermind Shuichi AU

Chapter 29 - A Normal Life?

Shuichi was all alone in this.

The whole time, he was completely alone. With no one to talk with, with no one to seek help to. He was trapped, forced into this sick role of the Mastermind against his will.

My heart ached and twisted as I remembered everything I'd said to him after the game.

I felt the tears start to sting my eyes. Guilt swarmed over my brain, filling my thoughts and emotions. I couldn't stop my lips from trembling as my face was burried in my pillow. I gulped back a sob, taking a deep breath. I had to calm down, the cameras were still here.

And I had to get started on a brand new plan.

I frowned and got up, rubbing a sleeve over my eyes to dry them. I slapped both my cheeks to motivate myself and immediately got to note down all the new information I'd gathered and plan something.

[...]

SHUICHI POV

...

Almost two weeks had passed. It was Friday today, exactly a month after the group had collectively moved into this house.

I was basically free from my sickness at this point. I'd still cough a few times a day and get headaches from time to time, but I was able to function like a normal human being.

Last week was a pain though. I'd been stuck in bed for three days in a row, unable to get out to even get water, refill the humidifier or eat something. It was terrible, my body ached non-stop and I had trouble sleeping.

Lucky for me, the second of those three days, Kirumi dared herself to open my door to see how I was doing. She had started asking about why I was refusing the dishes until she saw me in that pathetic state.

She looked... panicked.

But why...?

Just a week before that, they all looked at me like they wanted to throw me in a lake and drown me. Why was she acting so nice towards me?

At that time, I felt too miserable to even question it. I was drifting from unconscious to conscious all the time and didn't focus on anything at all. I remember her just telling me, no, begging me to eat and drink something. She then left shortly after, saying something I didn't hear, after she'd watched me weakly bite into a sandwich.

'How embarrassing...' I thought as I remembered the two following days after that. She would always come by a few times a day just to make me eat something. Kaede even came once, bearing the warmest smile I'd ever seen on her face.

She was so persistent... even after I ignored her and made her cry so many times.

... then Kokichi came as well. I remember it vaguely, since he came the night of the same day Kirumi had visited me. He brought me dinner and sat down on a chair beside my bed.

"Y'know, Saihara-chan, you're so weird."

I remember weakly lifting up my head from my sandwich to look at him. My vision was blurry and I couldn't make out his expression at all.

"You're supposed to be a detective, yet you're the mystery. You're the troublesome one. That's supposed to be my job! I'm supposed to be the hated one here!~"

I raised an eyebrow at him, my fatigue just intensifying my confusion. I heard his horse giggle.

"The roles have switched now~"

I vaguely remember making out the outline of his eyes as he said that.

His purple irises were staring directly into my own eyes, digging deep into my soul. They were filled with malice, yet overflowed with curiosity.

"Welp! Now that you're finally done, I'll be taking my leave! Plus, you smell really bad phew, I'm glad to finally be able to leave this putrid place!~"

He stood up, grabbing the half eaten sandwich plate from my hands and trotted over to the door.

I remember seeing his eyes glance at my desk, seeing my laptop and paper files sprawled on my desk, before he closed the door and left.

...

Kaito and Maki also came to visit me, the second day after Kirumi. They both stood by the doorframe as they watched Kirumi give me some food, telling me to make an effort to at least eat a little more than yesterday. I felt a little better that day and saw how worried both looked. I heard some words concerning my health and the subject of death even came up, coming from Kaito of course.

Then, the end of the week came and I started feeling extremely better, better than the previous weeks even. Kirumi still visited me, even if I wasn't in bed anymore, making sure I ate something.

A few days ago, I even started working again. After my uncle was convinced enough that I was doing better, he sent me files for weeks and weeks, telling me not to worry about coming back to the office anytime soon, as to not tire myself. He also sent me extra money, claiming this was a pay in advance for the next two weeks, as well as a little bonus to help myself out. I thanked him greatly, after all, the others were running out of money again.

Two weeks ago, I left them my credit card on the kitchen table after sneaking out when they were sleeping. My name wasn't on the card or anything, so they had no idea who this belonged to. I had written a note to go with the card, claiming this was financial support from Team Danganronpa. Half convinced but running out of money, they accepted it and began using it. Lucky for me, they were extremely careful with what they spent.

And so, here we are now.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table, listening to this boring teacher teach boring subjects. Most of the others were listening with attention, but some of them were goofing around, playing with their pencils and stuff.

As for me, I was thinking about this particularly tricky case I was currently solving. This was surely a challenge from my uncle and I couldn't wait to get to the bottom of it.

"I think that'll be it for today. Make sure to be prepared for next week's exam."

Everyone nodded and stood up, grabbing their stuff and heading directly to their rooms, chatting and complaining about various things.

I made my way to mine directly, almost running. As soon as I got there, I closed my door and got to work, immediately pulling out the file.

I worked on it all night and without realizing, I skipped dinner.

'God damnit...'

I stood up and stretched as I looked at the hour. 11 PM. 'Wow, I've really been working on this for 8 hours...?' I sighed and changed out of my clothes into something more comfortable. I then headed downstairs through the silence of the mansion, trying my best to be as quiet as possible.

I finally made it downstairs and opened the fridge. I was immediately met with a note that read: 'Leftovers for Shuichi.' I felt a rush of heat fill my stomach and a smile crept on my face. This simple act of kindness was everything and it made me so happy. I grabbed the plastic container, opened it and put it in the microwave. I set the timer for one minute, before pressing the button. The machine was making a super loud noise, I'm just hoping this won't wake anyone up.

Just before the beeping, I stopped the microwave and got out the heated bowl of soup. I grabbed myself a spoon and sat down at the table. I didn't hesitate to dig in; I didn't realize until now how hungry I was.

It barely took me five minutes before I was done. I smiled as I brought the cup to the kitchen to wash it; I'll have to thank Kirumi one way or another, for all she's done to me. I just hope that... that they won't do anything.

I found myself frowning, before shaking the thoughts away. I hadn't heard from Team Danganronpa and the man in almost two weeks and I'm positive they saw how Kirumi and the others took care of me when I was sick. They didn't even do anything... so why would they do now? Unless...

I took a deep breath and put the washed cup in its respective cupboard. I checked one last time to make sure I didn't forget anything on the table, before heading back upstairs.

I climbed the stairs, making sure not to make the wood creak. As I finally arrived upstairs, I turned left to go to my room.

That's when I felt a warm hand slap itself on my mouth, gripping my face harshly.